


Being Lovey Dovey is hard

by Ani_Summer



Category: Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Actually maybe a few things are different haha, Alternate Universe, Can be seen as complete until updates begin, Established Relationship, Everything is pretty much the same except for Onodera is a manga author, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm also really bad at titles so please forgive me haha, M/M, Manga author! Onodera, ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, Rekindled love, and Kisa becomes his friend earlier on, mentions of work harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 14:03:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16041947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ani_Summer/pseuds/Ani_Summer
Summary: After getting hired as a manga author for the emerald department in Marukawa Publishing, Onodera realises that he's made a huge mistake! Instead of being given the chance to prove the others wrong and continue to have his manga in the mystery genre, he finds himself having to do Shoujo manga!





	1. The Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all and welcome to my little Sekaiichi Hatsukoi AU X3 I wrote this years and years ago and now I have finally decided to carry it on~!! Wish me luck haha
> 
> I don't own anything related to Sekaiichi Hatsukoi (Besides from the plot of this story) ^^
> 
> I hope that you enjoy!!

As a young boy, Onodera almost always seemed to have a book in his hand, or was doodling something, in the school’s library. He kept to himself but seemed to have a few classmates that he would talk to from time to time. In the calm library, there was someone who caught the male’s eye and he couldn’t seem to get him out of his mind. 

He found himself unable to stop himself gazing at the mystery male, doodling him without realising it and reading the books that the other did so that he could be a little bit closer to the male. Every time the male saw the other, he would feel his heart begin to beat like crazy and his cheeks would grow flushed. He would lose all thought process and would even forget his reasoning for being in the library. Was this love? Onodera was sure that it was and he knew deep down that he would never be able to stand next to the male. No matter how much he wanted to, he knew that he couldn’t bring himself to express his feelings to the other. He couldn’t even bring up the courage to talk to the male.

Until one fateful day where everything changed.


	2. 10 years later...

Onodera rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he reached for one of the many energy drinks that he had stored in his fridge before quickly making his way out of his new home. His pace increased as he made his way to the train station. Thankfully, the male just managed to just make it on the train. He let out a sigh of relief before taking a seat on one of the few empty seats in the carriage. The male pulled out his phone before sending a quick message to one of his friends before turning to watch the view for the train window as it whizzed past him.

It didn’t take long before Onodera reached the Marukawa Publishing building and quickly made his way over to the receptionist. He took a deep breath before approaching one of the ladies who wasn’t preoccupied with something. 

“Good afternoon! How can I help?” The lady asked the male with an enthusiastic smile. Onodera couldn’t help but back up slightly before letting out a sheepish smile. Everything about the lady seemed to radiate purity. Her short black hair brushed against her shoulders and her big doll like eyes almost seemed to glimmer with wonder.

“G-good afternoon.” Onodera replied nervously. “I’m Onodera Ritsu and I’m here because I received a call yesterday about being a manga author for Emerald.”

 

“Ah, you must be here to introduce yourself to your editor. I’ll just need to print off a few documents for you to check beforehand if that’s alright.”

“That’s completely fine.” Onodera mumbled before observing the other as she printed out said documents. A few minutes passed before the lady got up and led the way to a seating area. Onodera nervously followed her until they both took a seat at one of the many tables in the room. The lady handed over the documents for the male to look through with a bright smile. It didn’t take long for the brunette to realise that something wasn’t right.

“I thought that I was supposed to be in the drama genre. This section says Shoujo manga.” Onodera frowned. The male took note to how the lady didn’t do anything besides smile at him again.

“But in the meeting, we all concluded that you would be having an editor from one of the members in the emerald editing department. Don’t worry as all the members in the department are amazing.” Onodera opened his mouth to say something couldn’t bring himself to say anything. 

He was speechless.

How did this happen to him?! He was certain that he had made sure to submit for the right department?! What was he supposed to do now?! Onodera resisted the urge to let out a deep sigh before handing the documents back to the lady who gave him a grateful smile. They then made their way to the lift to make their way over to the emerald editing department section.

“Isn’t it a bit embarrassing for a male to be in the shoujo manga section?”

“I wouldn’t say so. All the members in this department are males and are wonderful. I’m sure that no matter which editor you get, they’ll be a great help.”

“A-alright but…” Onodera trailed off as she followed the receptionist past other departments in the building.

“I believe that they’ve just finished a cycle so I’m sure that they’ll be very helpful.” The lady beamed. 

Onodera tilted his head slightly as he attempted to figure out a solution to the issue he had been thrown into. Shoujo manga?! He didn’t know the first thing on how to do lovey dovey stuff! The best thing he had for this kind of genre was his art style and that probably wouldn’t hide the fact that he had only been doing dark and grim manga. The complete opposite to the light and fluffy feel that shoujo manga had! The male’s eyes widened. Maybe he could attempt to do two weeks and then quit to go to another company? It wasn’t like he could just quit on the spot… This was the worst!

The duo eventually reached the emerald editing department. Onodera bowed as he introduced himself in a formal manor before glancing up at what he had expected to be a professional environment. He was far from the truth. The brunette glanced at the lady in horror and noticed that she had paled slightly in complexion.

“I apologise! I must have gotten the cycle wrong!” She apologised before bolting away; leaving Onodera confused and unsure of what to do next. He glanced at the group of people who seemed to be drained from all of their energy and were attempting to get the last bits of work done. They looked like they were on the verge of collapsing. The male scratched the back of his neck as he remembered his previous job. The atmosphere felt so familiar to when he had a deadline coming and was trying his best to finish the chapter on time.

He made his way down and reached one of the members who was slouched over his desk. He couldn’t help but notice that the male seemed familiar. “Kisa?” He asked with a hint of curiosity. The other male slowly turned to face him before letting out a groan, rubbing his eyes and gazing at Onodera.

“W-what are you doing here, Ricchan?”

“I was supposed to be meeting someone from here.”

“Oh, alright.” Kisa mumbled before begrudgingly calling over another male by the name of Takano. 

“Shut up! I heard you the first time.” The male in question groaned before removing the manga that had been covering his head. Onodera’s eyes widened. This was the editor in chief?! He made his way over to the male before glancing at Kisa with a look of concern.

“I’m Onodera Ritsu and I’m here to meet my editor.” The brunette attempted to explain as he held back his annoyance for the situation he had ended up in.

“Ah, so you were coming today.” Takano spoke with disinterest before turning his attention to the other. “Sorry that I couldn’t make it to the meeting.” Onodera watched as the raised from his seat before realising that they were going to another area of the building. The brunette quickly picked up his pace before following the other to one of the meeting rooms.

Takano opened the door for the other who let out a sheepish “thank you” before sitting down on one of the many seats in the room. Takano followed suit. Onodera swallowed as his gaze flickered around the room until Takano cleared his throat; Causing the brunette to jump slightly. 

“I saw your portfolio and noticed that you go by a different name. Not that I care but why is that?”

“It’s embarrassing to have my own name on my manga.” Onodera responded without much thought as he felt his cheeks warm up. Being a family member of the Onodera publishing company meant that he was supposed to follow the path that his family had set up, but he didn’t want to do that. No matter how much he enjoyed reading and loved the idea of becoming part of the making of a book, he had allowed himself to listen to his friend and decided to become a manga author instead. Due to this, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed if he had his name on his works so he came up with a fake name. 

The brunette felt the eyes of the other linger on him before glancing at the documents that he had brought with him. “Oda Ritsu.” The male mumbled. Onodera glanced at the other with a slight frown before feeling himself grow nervous. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to pick a name that held so many dark memories to it but he couldn’t think of anything else. All those years of writing that name on the bits of paper in the library—

Onodera’s thoughts were cut off as Takano began to speak again. Most of it was on the schedule on how things were done and when the deadlines were for the male. Thankfully, the characters from his portfolio seemed to be perfect and the plot that had been introduced in the chapter he had sent needed a little bit of work but was good enough. 

When the meeting had ended, Onodera found himself letting out a small sigh of relief. It was stressful enough having to sit down in such a tense environment but as soon as the Takano said his author name, all the other could think about was his childhood days of being blissfully naive.

“Onodera.” A voice called. The male turned around to see the owner of the voice was Takano. 

“Yeah?” 

“Have we met before?”

“Not that I’m aware of. Maybe we walked past each other in the store or something like that.” The brunette responded.

“Maybe.” The other muttered before pondering something. “You’ve got my contacts so if you need anything just give me a call and make sure to not leave the storyboard to the last minute.” Onodera nodded his head before they both said goodbye and parted ways. 

As soon as the brunette left the building, he felt himself almost instantly grow tired. Maybe all his nerves had made it so that he remained on edge but now that all worry had gone, the male just wanted to get a quick meal and get some sleep. He had a storyboard to finish but had no idea what sort of story he should do.


	3. The Motive

Onodera slouched on his seat in the train before running a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath before thinking back to his meeting with Takano. A feeling of dread almost rose in his stomach as the male let out a groan. What was he supposed to do with what he had gotten?! He didn't know the first thing to do with romance! The male glanced out of the carriage window as he watched the surrounding pass him by in a blur as he attempted to figure a good plot for a shoujo manga but nothing came.

The thoughts that came to his mind were his past works in the manga department, which were a lot more mature and serious than the position he had managed to get himself in now, and how he managed to get to the head position of the team due to the amount of time he spent revising certain bits of information and fact checking things to make sure that they were as accurate as possible. He could remember how proud he felt as he worked with his team on a certain chapter for the most recent series they were working on and he felt pride in how hard everyone was working until one day.

* * *

_Onodera was making his way up the stairs after finally giving the manuscript to one of the editors when he heard mumbling coming from the hallway near the office area. His eyebrows scrunched up as he realised that the voices belonged to his assistants. The male attempted to shrug off any nerves that bubbled in his stomach but couldn't seem to bring himself to join the conversation. This was because before he said anything, he heard his name mentioned. The tone sounded annoyed and pessimistic; the complete opposite to how the assistants usually sounded like. He got close enough so that he could hear them clearer but couldn't seem to bring himself to join them. The way they spoke about his family relations and how it seemed like he didn't have to put effort in to get the position he had gotten made the male grow annoyed. Sure, it was amazing to be part of a team which was able to receive the best treatment from the magazine, but Onodera knew that it was through his- their hard efforts and late-night shifts of just drawing until their hands had been stained with ink and their brains could no longer process what was going on._

_Was he the only one who believed that they had formed a bond?_

_Onodera had smirked. He should have seen it coming. It made sense. After all, who blamed them. The son of a huge company decides to become a manga author and somehow gets one of the best positions with seemingly no effort. He knew that he would be annoyed if he was in their shoes but… he wasn't. He wasn't and it made him feel sick that all the effort he had put in his manga had gone to waste._

_The male let out a deep sigh before turning around with one strong plan in mind. He was going to prove to them that he could do it without being on his days coattails. He was going to show them!_

* * *

The sound of the announcement awoke Onodera who let out a grumble before realising that he had made it to his stop. He got up and made his way out of the station before entering the nearby convenience store. The male grabbed one of the ready-meal lunches, as well as a few energy pouches, and quickly paid for his things before making his way to his new home. It had been a tiring day and all the male wanted to do was pass out on his bed and hope that the day had just been a nightmare.

The brunette had moved out a few days ago but it still felt like he had made no progress in unpacking things due to his new job. With a sigh, the male entered the building before pressing a button for the lift. He glanced behind him to look through the windows in the entrance area to finally notice the orange and red hues which filled the sky as well as the street lights slowly flicker on. His attention was quickly removed from the outside world as the lift announced that it had made it to the ground floor. Onodera turned back around before entering the elevator and pressing the button for his floor.

During the journey to his floor, the male continued to think of a decent plot for the manga he needed to do. A chill ran down Onodera's spine at the thought of Takano looking at the storyboard and muttering those words he should be used to hearing but always hurt him deep down. The slim chance of succeeding had already shrunk since the brunette didn't have any assistance and was now working in an unfamiliar genre. In short, Onodera was dreading the outcome to the situation he had ran into.

Suddenly, the lift reached the brunettes floor and the opening doors awakened Onodera from his panic. He quickly hurried to his room before shutting the door behind him until he realised that he had forgotten to check his mail in case his parents had left a letter.

With a huff, Onodera exited his apartment yet again but before he made his way to the lift again, he noticed his next-door neighbour. Maybe now would be a good chance to introduce himself to them and hopefully leave a good impression on them? Onodera politely bowed before saying, "Good afternoon. I'm your new neighbour, Onodera Ritsu. It's nice to meet you."

When there was no response, the brunette glance up curiously. His eyes widened when he noticed who he had spoken to. It was none other than Takano Masamune. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. It was as if they were stuck in his throat.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Neither did I." Onodera retorted as he crossed his arms. He debated on if it was best to continue to make his way down to the post or just go into his room. One definitely sounded a lot better than the other but the brunette just stood there. It was as if his feet had been planted to the floor.

"How's the storyboard coming along?"

"Could be better." The brunette mumbled as his gaze shifted around the room.

"Well, get on with it. You've got one chance and if it's not good enough-"

"Then I'll get taken off of the magazine. I know what happens. I'm not a complete novice." Onodera pouted as he interrupted Takano. The temptation to head back in his apartment grew stronger.

"I'm glad you at least understand that." The other male remarked with a slight smirk before it changed to an almost concerned frown. "Are you sure that we haven't met before?"

It was Onodera's turn to frown as he tilted his head slightly in confusion. "I don't think we have."


	4. The Reveal

Onodera glanced at the time before letting out a deep sigh. He had only managed to get a few notes down on a piece of paper and it was already 3am! Doodles scattered the surroundings of the few bits of writing like a boarder. The brunette let out a deep sigh before rubbing his eyes. He had told himself that he was going to get some sleep as he came in but somehow, he had ended up being unable to sleep so he decided to attempt to write down some ideas to help fix the mess he had fallen into. 

That decision resulted in a sleepy Onodera subconsciously doodling as he attempted to come up with a good plot to make sure that he would be able to get good sales. I’m going to prove to them that I can do well, Onodera declared as he pulled out a sketchbook from his bag. He turned the pages until he reached a blank one before sketching out the two main characters for the story. One of them was a stern male with dark scruffy hair. His wore a scruffy uniform with a loose tie and the first few buttons were undone. The male’s arms were crossed and his posture seemed to portray that the male was somewhat reserved. The other character was a girl who almost seemed to be the complete opposite in appearance. Her light hair was neatly tied up in pigtails and her uniform was neat and tidy. She wore a warm smile, but her posture showed that she wasn’t full of energy. The girl’s cheeks were slightly flushed to give her a look of innocence. 

It didn’t take long for Onodera to realise that what he had planned to be a sketch, became a finished character profile with the girl on the right and the male on the right. The brunette took out a sheet of paper before tapping his pencil against the side of the table. What names would he give them? He had no idea. He didn’t even know what personalities to give them. The male let out a deep sigh before debating what the best thing to do was before something seemed to click in his mind but… those memories should remain locked away and untouched. 

Onodera glanced at his drawings again before letting out a deep sigh. It was the only thing that he could think of that would fit in the romance genre, so it would sadly have to do. He pulled out a few bits of paper so that he could start the storyboard and let himself draw whatever came to his might. 

The first thing he found himself drawing was the event that had started it all. The place where he had lost control of his feelings and confessed his love as the tall shelves filled with books almost seemed to shield the two from other students that were in the library. Onodera ignored all sense of reason, and the thoughts which told him how stupid this idea was, and continued to do the storyboard.

By the time he had finished, the soft light from the sun was seeping through his blinds. Onodera let out a sigh of relief before his consciousness went and he fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of his phone ringing caused Onodera to suddenly wake up. He almost instantly panicked as he reached for his phone and answered with a sleepy "Hello."

"Good morning." Takano replied with a light chuckle. Onodera glanced outside before frowning slightly and rubbing his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Just wanted to check and see how the storyboard is coming along."

"I've finished it."

"Already? That's fast."

"Just doing my job." Onodera remarked as he began to get up from the uncomfortable position he had ended up in after he had fallen asleep. He then started to sort out the mess of paper that was scattered on his table.

"You didn't need to finish it until Saturday but then again, the sooner the better."

"I'll fax it to you."

"There's no need when you live next door to me."

Onodera felt himself grow pale as soon as he heard those words from Takano. How could he forget that he now lived next to his editor?! The male took a deep breath before returning his attention onto the call. "It's alright. I can just fax it to you." 

“Don’t do things half-assed.”

“Huh?!”

“It’ll be a lot more efficient to sort out the editing stage if we do it together and… there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“I can’t seem to get out of my head that I’ve met you from somewhere and that name… It doesn’t matter but if you’re not coming then I’m coming to yours.”

“No, don’t come here!”

“I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

“Alright! I’ll come over now! Just, don’t come here!” Onodera panicked as he glanced at all the boxes were still waiting to be opened. He grabbed the storyboard before rushing over to the door. 

Takano gave a smug sounding “Alright” before hanging up the phone. The brunette frowned deeply before sliding his phone into one of his front pockets and shoving his feet into his shoes in a mad dash to get to his next-door neighbours.

The male paused in front of the looming door. Just before he could knock, the door was yanked open and he had almost been pulled inside. Onodera blinked in confusion before realising that he was in the other male’s home without realising what had happened. He resisted the urge to groan as he found himself glancing around curiously. Takano’s apartment was tidy and only seemed to have things that seemed necessary. Part of Onodera couldn’t help but feel a bit of relieved that the place wasn’t as bad as his own. 

“Are you coming inside or are you just going to stand there?”

“I-I’m coming in.” Onodera huffed as he removed his shoes before handing Takano his story plan and following him into the lounge area of the apartment. They both took a seat around the low table. Takano flicked through one of the copies of the story plan that Onodera had brought while the other copy remained on the table.

The brunette couldn’t help but notice as Takano’s expression slowly changed to one of confusion then suddenly, for a slit second, became a mix of bewilderment. Moments dragged on as Takano seemed to double check the pages as if he was looking for a sign. The male eventually looked at Onodera with an indescribable expression on his face. His gaze almost seemed to glisten and it seemed like he was trying to search for something in the brunette’s emerald eyes.

“Ritsu.”

“Y-yes.” The male replied. He could feel his heart begin to pound as he took in how fragile Takano had sounded. The male held back the urge to close the distance between them as he held his hands together.

“This story…”

“W-what about it?” The brunette asked nervously as he felt himself begin to curl into himself. He felt his body tense up as he anticipated what the other male was going to say.

“Are you Oda Ritsu?”

“What are you on about?” Onodera shuffled backwards as he stared at Takano in bewilderment. “I don’t get what you mean?” Takano’s gaze sent chills down the males back as he remained on edge. 

“This storyboard. The characters. The plotline… everything is the same but slightly different. Ritsu, I know it’s you so can you please stop running away.”

Onodera gazed into the other’s eyes. His gaze seemed to be searching for some sort of response. Something that would answer his needs but the brunette didn’t know how to respond. All he could seem to do was stare back as his mind raced to find some way he could reply but nothing seemed to work. He opened his mouth but any words he attempted to say seemed to get trapped in his throat. 

“I-I’m not running away.” Onodera managed to mumble. He shuddered at how he spoke. His words sounded weak and quiet. It was the complete opposite to how he wanted to sound! “A-and, I don’t get what you mean. T-there’s no way that-”

“There’s no way that I’m what?” Takano interrupted. His voice shook and almost came off as needy. Onodera raised his attention to the male and noticed that he couldn’t look away. There was something about him that made the male want to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright but… The brunette ripped his gaze off the male and back to the ground. He couldn’t let himself get swept away by the atmosphere.

“It doesn’t matter.” The male spoke up as he began to stand up. “I should get going. I don’t want to distract you from your job and I’m tired.” Onodera turned to leave until he felt a hand grab his wrist. His eyes widened as he turned to face Takano. Before he could say anything, the other male had pressed his lips against his. 

Onodera felt his cheeks flush as he processed what was going on. He pushed Takano away as he stared at him with wide eyes. “D-Did you just k-k-kiss me?!” Onodera panicked as he covered his mouth with his arm.

“Do you remember who I am now? I was getting bored of waiting so I thought that this would speed things up.”

The brunette felt his cheeks grow warmer as he attempted to stop himself from blushing. “I have no idea what you’re on about! Thank you for having me over but I really should be going!” Onodera reached the door but before he could open it, Takano pressed his hand against the door to keep the brunette from leaving. 

“My name changed.”

“Huh?!”

“My parents got divorced. My old name was Saga Masamune.”

Onodera’s eyes widened as he heard that name echo in his mind. The few seconds of silence felt like eternity as his thoughts attempted to process what was happening.

“Saga-Senpai.” Onodera mumbled as he felt himself turn his attention to the other male. He could only seem to stare at the other as he came to terms with what was going on. “Y-you’re…”

Takano smirked. “So, you finally realised who I am. Took you long enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope to see you in the next one ^^
> 
> Leave your thoughts in the comments down below and thank you again for reading this silly little story X3


End file.
